Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: Sports

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Welcome to the first installment of Win or Go Home, a weekly column examining current events going on in the professional sports world. My topic will be MLB since the season is closing out and the playoffs are coming up.

Well first off, I'm glad that we all went through an exciting baseball season without any BALCO or steroid drama. It was really disheartening to watch the reputation of America's favorite pastime become jeopardized because of cheating players. With the Mitchell Report fiasco dying down, for now at least (while Roger Clemons is still sitting at home trying to make his own report) I can say that we went through a relatively "cleansed" baseball season so far, which is what President George W. Bush promised a few months back in April (and the promise was actually made).

Now, on to who's hot, who's not and what the playoffs will possibly look like. Leading the American League Western Division are the Los Angeles Angels, who have been on somewhat of a slump lately. The Angels do have a good share of star players like Vladimir Guerrero (who's tearing up the joint by leading the team in batting averages, home runs, RBI's and runs scored), Torri Hunter, Mark Teixeira and star closer Francisco Rodriguez (a.k.a. K-Rod). While they are all good in the clutch, it doesn't seem like everyone else on the team is and that can cause problems for them in the post season.

One team that has made a comeback this season is the Chicago Cubs over in the National League Central Division. Although they have had their share of slumps and losing streaks, the Cubs have still managed to stay on top consistently and led their division throughout most of the season. Hopefully that's something that actually makes manager Lou Piniella happy.

The biggest surprise of the season though is the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They went from being one of the worst baseball teams season after season (and a popular punch line for David Letterman) to having one of the best records in the entire MLB. What's nice about the Devil Rays is that the team is young and upcoming and only one player from the Rays, Evan Longoria, made it to the All-Star game. Give them a year or two and they will be dominating the A.L.

Just behind the Devil Rays for the wild card spot in the A.L. are the Boston Red Sox. Their offense has definitely weakened a bit with the departure of their disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez, but the Red Sox are still managing to hang on to their 4th place spot in the playoff race.

OK, so after managing to write a whole paragraph about Red Sox without bashing them, let me talk a little about my favorite team, rivals of the Red Sox. Yes that's right, I have supported my New York Yankees ever since I was a small kid back when I still lived in New York (I was born there actually). When Yahoo sports columnist Jeff Passan said "The New York Yankees are dead," I thought about writing some nasty comments to him, but then I realized that sometimes great things have to come to an end. Although I don't think my Yankees are dead yet, they're getting there.

One big factor of the Yankees' downward spiral this season was their lack of pitching. The two pitchers who are still doing decent, veterans Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera are continuing to rack up the years in the age column. The injuries to Joba Chamberlain and their top pitcher Chien-Ming Wang really put a big hole in their pitching rotation. The acquiring of outfielder Xavier Nady and all-star catcher and future hall-of-famer Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez did create some excitement amongst avid fans, but they still need more to gain ground in the playoff race. They are still a few games behind the Red Sox for the wild card spot.

Others can say that the departure of Joe Torre was did the Yankees in, but I beg to differ. To me, Torre lost that desire to win that he had back in the late 90s. I mean, I still think he was a great manager and helped guide the Yankees to multiple World Series a few years back, but those days are long gone unfortunately. The Dodgers can have him though, plus Hollywood would be a nice place for him to retire at anyway.

Oh well, I can always jump on the bandwagon and support the New York Mets on the other side of town. I mean, they are leading their division in the N.L. East and have a good chance of keeping that lead. Newly acquired star pitcher Johan Santana has proved to be a factor in their success by leading the team in wins and strikeouts and maintaining an impressively low ERA of 2.63. Carlo Delgado and David Wright continue to bring home the runs along with José Reyes' .301 batting average.

Other teams that are fairing well include the Arizona Diamondbacks leading the N.L. west and the Chicago White Sox leading the A.L. central. The Minnesota Twins are hanging in there only a half game behind the Red Sox for the wild card spot. I predict a tight race for playoff spots in the second half of September, and don't worry, my Yankees will be in the running too.

So, the playoff outlook? I'd say the current division leaders and wild card teams will keep their spots and move forward. There will probably be a showdown between the Angels and the Devil Rays for the A.L. pennant. Don't count out the White Sox though, but count out them Red Sox. No, I'm not saying this because I like the Yankees, but I don't think Boston has enough firepower to go all the way to the World Series. Over in the N.L. I predict the Mets and the Cubs will be battling it out for the N.L. pennant.

As far as World Series predictions go, I'm pretty open to whoever makes. I do think there's a chance of us seeing a Windy City series in Chicago, which would be cool. The Cubs would then have a chance to end their wicked and depressing drought and bring home the World Series title.

For now, I would like to say that the Yankees can still make the playoffs, but I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. I will still continue to support them, but whatever happens, happens. It would have been nice if they had the playoffs secure one last time during their final season at the original Yankee Stadium, but then again, maybe once they move to the new Yankee Stadium, they will be renewed and a totally different team. Hey, dreams can still come true.

Contact Nick Hunte at nhunte@statehornet.com

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